Stockholm 2016
Coming back to a city that you thought you would never return to is strange, especially when your return comes shortly after your initial visit. I was lucky enough to have first experienced Stockholm back in the summer of 2014 when it formed one of the highlights in a whirlwind of a roadtrip around Scandinavia. To me the city is the Nordic New York: its big, busy, metropolitan and has something for everybody. I like the way the city is split up into islands as it helps to create easy to understand variations in the different aspects of Stockholm’s character. If you want old school European charm then head over to Gamla Stan, the vintage clothes shops and cute cafes are over in Sodermalm and Norrmalm for your standard city centre fair. Honestly, I was a little at a loss as to what to do this time around, firstly the trip came at relative short notice and our busy prior visit had ticked off all the points on my Stockholm bucket list. Good thing it was winter this time around, the colder weather seemed to have a cooling effect on the buzzing summer Stockholm that I remembered and the locals seemed to be all about getting somewhere warm for a quick fika or gorging themselves on semla to keep the winter blues at bay. This suited my girlfriend and I well as that is exactly what we were after, two days of sleeping in, kicking back, consuming good food, mindlessly walking about and checking out the independent little shops that Scandinavians seem to do so well.
EAT
Supper – Tegnergatan 37
Well thought out South American menu with great drinks in an intimate atmosphere (also the best faux cobblestone carpet I have ever had the pleasure of walking on).
Pugologi – Stora Nygotan 20
Not cheap but good value for what is fun and innovative Michelin start level dining. If you don’t normally do fancy food places but want to try it once then this is the place to do it. They also have an amazing non-alcoholic drink pairing for all their dishes which is extremely rare.
Pom & Flora – Bondegatan 64
An inviting little hipster café that focuses on healthy food. Best avocado toast I have ever had, prepare yourself for the beet juice, it’s a sour SOB.
Fabrique – Nybrogatan 6
A bakery chain that has a strong dark vintage industrial interior style which is unusual for this sort of place. Interior style aside they make ace baked goodies; the semla was good but their brownies and caramel bars were even better. They have opened up a couple branches in London too!
SHOP
Our Legacy - Krukmakargatan 24
Forget Acne or Norse, for me this is the Scandinavian menswear brand. They focus on simple wearable silhouettes but keep it fresh by using unusual fabrics and the occasional daring pop of colour. They are currently doing some soft terry cloth sweaters and sexy sleek suede over shirts that are definitely worth checking out.
Nitty Gritty - Krukmakargatan 26
The peeps over at Nitty Gritty have some grade A taste. The shop resembles a modern art gallery, a big space with clean lines and the racks are nicely spaced out. The mix of brands they stock is as good as the interior, I know of no other physical shop that can place WTAPS and Arc'teryx Veilance side by side. Be warned it is not easy on the wallet though.
Grandpa - Södermannagatan 21
This is the Swedish urban outfitters, they stock various different Swedish brands not just in clothes but also in stationary and homewares. Really friendly laid back staff too! A great place if you don’t want to hit up loads of different shops but still want to get a range of Swedish bits and pieces.
Papercut - Krukmakargatan 24
The world's greatest magazine shop bar none. They've got magazines for all interests and the obscurity of some of the titles is mindboggling.
